There are many plants that you can incorporate into your garden for lots of fall colour and a pretty good resistance to a little bit of frost. It only takes a little bit of planning for our herbaceous borders to continue the fabulous colours enjoyed during the growing season. This is unfortunate as many choices can make your garden colourful late into the fall.
One of the best choices for fall is Rudbeckia. It is quite drought tolerant and gives us such beautiful and cheery colour. The normal bloom period for rudbeckia is from mid-summer until late into the fall. It will even survive several slight frosts and until we get a really good hit (-8 C) it will continue to provide sunny cheer to the garden. The flowers are most often yellow and daisy-like but there are now several cultivars available on the market. ‘Cappuccino’ is one of my favourite cultivars as it boasts dark coffee-coloured centres surrounded by amber and ochre petals – it is simply stunning. ‘Indian Summer’ remains my all-time favourite but is short-lived and must be treated as an annual - however, it does self-seed fairly readily.
Chrysanthemums are one of the showiest fall perennials you can grow. Most chrysanthemums will initiate their bloom by a specific day length. However, due to our specific climatic conditions, by the time our days become short enough to send the message to bloom, we usually have had a killing frost. However, there is hope; there is a special line of chrysanthemums that were developed in Morden, Manitoba that are better suited to our climate. They are triggered to initiate bloom by not only day length but also by temperature. There are several different cultivars available. ‘Morden Delight’ is a lovely deep bronzy orange-red that truly depicts the colours of autumn. Most Morden mums will bloom from about mid-August until the true end of the growing season. Please note that these chrysanthemums are not hardy here and will require a good snow cover for survival. As for the other "hardy mums" that are tempting us when we shop are great for enjoying until it freezes but unfortunately are not a great choice for our perennial borders here.
Asters are without doubt some of the biggest stars of fall. There are a host of choices with enough selection in size, shape and colour to use them everywhere in the garden. Typically, the colour palette will be whites, pink and violets but there are even some asters a lovely deep shade of blue. Ensure that you plant asters in full sun in moist, well-drained soil.
A great selection for dry, sunny areas that still will give great fall colour is none other than one of the infamous sedums – ‘Autumn Joy’. This is truly a plant that has all-season value. During the summer, you will enjoy great clusters of reddish-pink blooms that will continue to grace your garden into fall. As the temperatures cool, those blossoms will become a rich shade of burgundy. In winter, those same seed heads will add great interest to the landscape. Just ensure you plant this selection in full sun!
Last but not least a popular but underused perennial - Joe Pye weed is not to be overlooked. Not only does this perennial attract butterflies during the growing season but adds great colour and interest in the fall. Plant it in full sun and keep it evenly moist to ensure the best possible show.
Hanbidge is the Lead Horticulturist with Orchid Horticulture. Find us at ; by email at [email protected]; on Facebook @orchidhort and on Instagram at #orchidhort.
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